WebSlam VII – Rules & Suggestions

A Few Simple Rules

• Participants must reside in New Mexico and/or the Navajo Nation.
• Participants must be part of a high school or community-sponsored team.
• Each team must have between four and six members.
• Each team must have a “coach,” usually an English teacher.
• Participants must write a new and original poem each week for the three weeks of WebSlam.
• Three winners are determined by the highest cumulative scores.

For more information or if you have questions, email alex@nmculturenet.org

A Few Suggestions for Responding to the Prompts

• Refrain from using value-laden words such as “like,” “good,” etc.
• Try to be a keen observer. Take an inventory of a place or what a person is saying. What is there? What is omitted? What is implied? Build your own feelings and conclusions on a foundation of such observations.
• Be smart about using background material: snatches of conversation, biographical information, hard facts, etc. This information is readily available.
• Read your poems aloud to a friend. Seek and give honest feedback.
• Listen.